Nicole Parker is the Assistant Dean for Field Education and External Relations and a Clinical Instructor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. She leads the field education department and is responsible for strategic oversight, practicum education curriculum, ensuring best practices and policies are in place for practicum education. She strives to advise and support students to receive the best possible practicum experience in all program formats including on-campus weekly students, on-campus weekend students and students in the online format. Ms. Parker works with colleagues in curriculum development, outcomes and assessment, student support, admissions, and registration to ensure a student focused learning experience. With an interprofessional team, Ms. Parker developed curricula for interprofessional education on team-based learning, advises students in field education and community-based projects, and facilitates community conversations. Under the collaborative leadership of Ms. Parker, the Mandel School instituted ADEI Field Instructor Training Series, parallel curriculum among all program formats, Reaffirmation, Field First Fridays, employment based practicum opportunities, a new field education database system,
Ms. Parker is a licensed social worker (LSW) and holds certificates in global cultural competence, diversity & inclusion, emotional intelligence, conflict management, sustained dialogue and women in leadership. She has over 15 years of leadership experience with a blended social work background in various practice settings including clinical practice and community practice for social change. Mrs. Parker led a transitional housing program for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, created job opportunities for people/persons with disabilities, developed youth leadership programs, trained and evaluated prospective adoptive individuals and families, created and implemented community-wide fundraising initiatives, and instituted student retention strategies for higher education institutions.
Ms. Parker’s global social work nonprofit expertise includes international NGO program development & evaluation (South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, India, Honduras, Cameroon, Poland, Nigeria, and Guatemala), philanthropic enterprise, global civic engagement, community relations, orphan care, strategic partnerships, community development, global health, and social entrepreneurship and impact. Ms. Parker is a global scholar, social entrepreneur, and founded an international social impact nonprofit organization that focuses on creating equitable opportunities for children around the world.
Courses Taught
- SASS 375L/575L Social Justice/Social Work, International Learning through Community and NGO Internship
- SASS 501 MNO Practicum
- SASS 495 Field Education Seminar Organizational Theory & Practice
- SASS 496 Field Education Seminar Organizational Theory & Practice II
- SASS 601 Field Education I
- SASS 602 Field Education II
- SASS 603 Field Education III
- SASS 604 Field Education IV
Education
- Master of Nonprofit Management (MNO), Case Western Reserve University
- Master of Social Work (MSW), Cleveland State University
- Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Mount Union
Certifications
- Weatherhead Executive Leadership Certificate, Case Western Reserve University
- Cleveland Council on World Affairs, Global Cultural Competence
- Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, Diversity & Inclusion in Leadership
- McNellis Institute, Compression Planning
- Effectiveness Institution, Conflict Navigation